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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176265">dakavendish oneshots</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Milo Murphy's Law</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author Projecting onto Dakota, But it's okay, Cavendish is a dick, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Repressed, Fireflies, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Balthazar Cavendish/Vinnie Dakota, Non-Canon Relationship, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Canon, References to Depression, Song: Cough Syrup, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, Time Travel, Trans Vinnie Dakota, Vinnie Dakota Needs a Hug, Vinnie Dakota has panic attacks, Yelling, a conveniently placed park, five years isn't that long right??, gay time dads, grounding excersizes, he's learning, i imagine dakota's voice differently in my head than it is on screen so i'm sorry if it's ooc, it's not relevant but still, just generally, like they still look how they did when they met, lots of ranting, trigger warning, tw: emotional numbness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:47:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176265</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>i know for a fact that i'll be writing a lot of these for a while, so i made it a book! hope you like em, i may or may not be projecting onto dakota and using this as a way to put what i feel into words but it's fine!!! we're fine :)<br/>anyways i really hope you like these!! i worked really hard on them!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Balthazar Cavendish/Vinnie Dakota</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>dakavendish oneshots</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Dakota leaves for a few hours every day. Cavendish wonders why.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I’m headin’ out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two had been working together for about five years. Cavendish would say that he knew his partner fairly well - the two were solid friends, though they weren’t exactly the closest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From what he had gathered at first, Dakota was a tired, loud, insufferable slacker, and he never took his job seriously. Though more often than not, he did enjoy Dakota’s presence in the office, he thanked whatever god would listen that Dakota left for about two hours every day. He couldn’t help but wonder what the man did while he was out, but that was not his place. They were only kind of friends, more like work friends than anything else, he didn’t need to know what he did on his break. Cavendish enjoyed the silence anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Don’t get into trouble.” He said simply, not looking up from his computer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jeez, what are ya, my mom?” Dakota laughed. “Don’t worry, I can handle myself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t. Worry, that is. You go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, see ya.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota exited the apartment, jogging down the stairs. Cavendish was alright, but Dakota often wondered what he did to earn such disdain from him. He was just being himself! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...well, maybe that was it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whatever. Though he did admit that it would be nice, he didn’t need that know-it-all’s validation anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a while of walking, he arrived where he needed to go. The city park, same as every day. Sometimes to people watch, sometimes to draw the landscape, sometimes to watch the sunset - but most times, he went to get it all out. He had a playlist of songs that got him in the mood that he so often avoided, and no one went to that park anyway. A little part of him thought of it as his park, since no one was ever there. People never went to that end of town, with it barely being inside city limits.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat down on the wooden swing tied from a tree overhead, his favorite spot in the world. It was where the fireflies hung out- and more importantly, it faced west, where the sun set. That was the best part of the area. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The autumnal air was peaceful, a few stray lightning bugs flickering here and there. Dakota pulled his headphones over his ears, pressing play on the playlist labeled ‘The Park’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And, as quick as he heard the first note, suppressed emotions were already coming to light.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Back at the apartment…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish was typing away, as per usual. Of course </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the one typing out the paperwork after the last assignment. Why didn’t Dakota ever do it? He never did anything. It was like he was helpful at first just to win Cavendish over, then as soon as they started working together, he stopped trying. He was so lazy, always watching television or snacking or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was obnoxious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though sometimes, Cavendish would wonder what went through his partner's head. He seemed to zone out frequently with a furrowed brow, and he fidgeted constantly. At first, Cavendish found it annoying, but the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if Dakota was simply neurodivergent. It would certainly explain some of the odder habits of his. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again, it’s not his place to speculate. He didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to know all of his secrets. </span>
</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>
  <span>Every time Cavendish tried to focus on work, his mind would travel back to Dakota. Why did he leave every day? Where did he go?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He should’ve just kept working on the- oh. The paperwork was already done. He supposed that he had been on autopilot while lost in thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He submitted his work and closed his laptop, standing up. Maybe he should make something to drink. Tea, perhaps? He wasn’t tired enough for coffee.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had only begun to ponder on what to drink when he felt a sudden urge to leave. He didn’t know what it was, it felt like some mysterious force was pulling him out the door, but before he knew it, he was already on the ground floor of the complex with his overcoat on. He supposed that since he was already out here, he might as well take a stroll.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wandered all over the west side of town, saying hello to passersby and glancing in café windows. He enjoyed people watching, it felt somewhat calming. To realize that there are billions of others in the world and that they all had different lives, different experiences, different </span>
  <em>
    <span>stories! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Needless to say, he found some odd fascination with it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After wandering for what felt simultaneously like four hours and four minutes, Cavendish stumbled upon a seemingly abandoned park right at the edge of town. Even more odd than a park with no children in it, there was… singing? And it sounded familiar. Why did he know that voice?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Life’s too short to even care at all, woah, losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Who could that be? They sounded so… coldly melancholic. Cavendish could feel it just from their voice, it sent chills down his spine. (Or maybe that was the breeze.) He felt bad for the poor sap already, and he hadn’t even seen their face yet! Maybe he should find them, see what’s wrong.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“The fishes in the sea, they’re staring at me, woah, woah-oh, a wet world aches from the beat of a drum, woah,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He stood and listened intently, trying to put a name to the face. Er, well, the voice. He’d seen them recently, that was for sure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“If I could find a way to see this straight, I’d run away to some fortune that I, I should have found by now,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But who had he seen recently? He’d seen… maybe it was someone he passed on the street. Yes, that could be it. But everyone else was walking in the opposite direction.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m waiting for this cough syrup to come down,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota had been sitting there for roughly three songs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, he was pushing back tears. It was like he had a rubber bottle where he kept all of his feelings, and this song was a thumbtack that stabbed a hole in the side of it. Everything grew closer and closer to having him break, and he wasn't ready for it. Usually when he listened to this kind of thing, he just belted and closed himself back off, but for some reason, Cough Syrup was hitting him a little too hard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The instrumental played and he muttered to himself, “God, what am I doing?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Life’s too short to even care at all, woah, coming up now, coming up now out of the blue,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe that was why it was hitting him so damn hard. ‘Life’s too short to even care at all’? Sounded kinda like how he felt. Why did he care? The person whose life was always cut short hated him, that was for sure. Why couldn’t he just let the guy die? What was it about Cavendish that convinced Dakota to save him?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“These zombies in the park they're looking for my heart, woah, a dark world aches for a splash of the sun, woah,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘It’s not just the dark world that aches. My head is killing me.’ He thought, pushing himself to swing higher. One thing that certainly helped this awful feeling was when he got to the highest point that the swing could go. He felt weightless, like he didn’t have anything to worry about. Of course, that didn’t stop him from worrying, but it </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> pretty freeing, so he’d take what he could get.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“If I could find a way to see this straight, I’d run away to some fortune that I, I, should have found by now,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, here came his favorite part of the song. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“And so I run now to the things they say could restore me, restore life the way it should be, I’m waiting for this cough syrup to come down,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His voice grew quiet, tears pushing against his eyelids like a battering ram on a criminal’s door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Life’s too short to even care at all, woah, losing my mind, losing my mind, out of control,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that was it. He finally broke. Soft sobs could be heard if you really focused on where he was. He would try to regain his composure, but he couldn’t. He hadn’t done this kind of thing in… well, let’s just say, he couldn’t remember the last time that he cried. This was probably healthy, in all honesty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So why did it always make him feel so bad?</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh. Oh no. They were crying. What was he supposed to do? Did he go help? Did he just sit and listen? Should he even be listening to this? It seemed like a very personal moment to listen in on. But curiosity killed the cat- or in this case, the Cavendish. (Though he certainly hoped that they would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>kill him.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment of deliberation, he finally decided to get closer to the voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He crept further up the hill. Hey, that black jacket looked familiar. Again with the familiarity! Who could this be?! Maybe if he went to their side, he’d get a good glimpse at their face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hold on. Was that…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Dakota?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The instrumental ended, and Dakota gathered himself just enough to sing the last bit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“If I could find a way to see this straight, I’d run away to some fortune that I, I, should have found by now,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly grew more passionate- no, that wasn’t the right word. More </span>
  <b>angry. </b>
  <span>Angry that he felt like this, angry that the world had chosen to be so cruel, angry that he just couldn’t do anything right-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>“And so I run now to the things they say could restore me, restore life the way it should be! I’m waiting for this cough syrup to come down!”</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The anger faded to panic, then to a softened numbness. Voice breaking, he hummed quietly,</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“One more spoon of cough syrup now, woah, one more spoon of cough syrup now, woah-oh,”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tried to keep himself numb to the pain that he was feeling, but the sudden silence had something so unnervingly calm about it. He needed to keep crying, and it seemed like nature was encouraging him to do so.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he did.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish felt his heart break as Dakota shouted the last bit of the song. He sounded so hurt, so angry at himself and the world, and Cavendish wondered why it had taken him five whole years to see his partner like this. Looking back, he realized that Dakota had seen him in almost every state. He’d helped him out of a breakdown on many occasions, he’d made him tea when he was exhausted after a late night, he held him back when he was so angry that he wanted to punch someone… now that he truly thought about it, Dakota was always there for him, staying close. And he was so gentle, too. For someone so loud and messy and irrational, he was so kind, and he never left Cavendish’s side when he was truly needed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was about time that he returned the favor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota felt a warm hand on his back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this seat taken?” A soft voice asked from behind, coming around to sit on the swing next to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly wiped his tears and put on a fake smile. “Not at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, I, uhm…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You, um…?” Dakota reiterated, as if saying ‘continue’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were you spying on me, Stretch?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Answer the question, Dakota.” Cavendish’s tone grew more stern, but it was clear that he wasn’t angry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, uh, yeah, I’m fine. Why?”</span>
  <em>
    <span> Shit, he’s onto me. This is why I took drama class in highschool.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not to be rude, or anything, but I... don’t exactly believe you.” Cavendish’s eyes softened. “Look, I…” He sighed. “I know that we’re not the closest of friends. Up until five minutes ago, I thought you were selfish, lazy, and quite frankly, I thought you were a bad partner. I didn’t see all the good that you had done for me, and I’m sorry. I realize now that in just these past five years, you’ve saved me more times than I can count. Whether it be a rock nearly throwing me off a cliff, death rays aimed at us, or just <em>me </em>putting us in danger, you’ve always been there to save me and help me through whatever problems we face. I had no idea that I needed you. All I can do now is... hope you need me too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota felt his heart clench up. Well, there goes the topic that he planned to switch it to. Heartfelt confessions? Cavendish was really serious about this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m here to be for you what you are for me. So please, answer honestly when I ask you this… are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took Dakota a few minutes, but he finally managed to say, “...no.” in the most quiet voice he had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not. Okay, I mean. But who is, right?” A low, dry chuckle escaped Dakota’s throat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish felt like his heart was being twisted with two hands. He never knew how cynical Dakota could be. This low, broken voice that he was using just didn’t sound right coming from such a peppy, joking individual. It scared Cavendish, just a little bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How long has this been going on right under my nose? Wait, was that out loud?” Cavendish blinked, realizing what he’d asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure was. I mean, I’ve always kinda been like this, so don’t worry. It’s not you.” Dakota shrugged, fidgeting with the dirt under his nails.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno what it is, or why I feel how I do. The weird thing is, and stop me if you don’t wanna hear it, I legit don’t think I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel. At least, not too strongly, or on my own. Something needs to prompt me to an emotion. Half the time, I’m just numb. How fucked is that, huh?” That dark laugh escaped him again. “I can’t even feel things without something tellin’ me,” He lowered the tone of his voice and exaggerated his movements, putting his hands in a position that looked like a box, “Feel this way.” He returned to his normal voice. “Y’know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish’s jaw nearly dropped. His eyes were wide open, staring at Dakota with almost unfathomable levels of concern. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“T.M.I.?” Dakota asked with a tired chuckle, cringing away from Cavendish’s worried look. “Yeah, figured it would be. I’ll see myself out-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” Cavendish grabbed Dakota’s arm as he went to stand up. “It wasn’t too much. I’m glad that you trusted me with something personal, thank you for telling me what’s wrong.” He stood as well. “I’m just worried about you, Dakota, why won’t you let me help?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t need help. Everyone feels this way sometimes-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were crying because a song hit you a little too hard! If a good song is enough to break you, Then there’s clearly some bigger issue! I know that you’re not numb, I’ve seen it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cav, please-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll be happy for no reason, you’ll get angry at things that people don’t usually get angry about-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cavendish-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know that you can feel without direction, you’re just coping by numbing yourself! Will you please actually talk to me instead of putting up this bloody wall of ‘going through the motions’ when I know for a fact that something is bothering you-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just SHUT UP!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish hadn’t even realized what he was doing before he saw the terrified, defensive, and broken look on Dakota’s face. Tears streamed from his eyes as he stumbled back a few steps, hands over his ears. “Too loud, too loud, too loud,” He repeated to himself, his voice high and broken. His body shook with anxiety and fear, and he curled into himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh shit.” Cavendish muttered, a hand over his mouth. What just happened? Did… oh god, did he do that? “Dakota, I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Too loud,” Dakota said, a little louder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...right. My apologies.” Cavendish lowered his voice to a whisper, walking a bit closer to Dakota. “...May I touch you?” He asked quietly, then earning a small nod from Dakota. He pulled his friend into his arms, leaning so the two could sit on the cool ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna need you to do something, it’s really simple. Can you do that for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. Find five things you can see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota slowly looked up, looking around the park. “Uh, a… a tree, some, uh, some- some grass, the sky, and, uh, a…” A firefly landed on his knee, lighting up once or twice before flying away. “Fireflies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good, you’re already doing wonderfully. Four things you can feel.” It felt odd to be on the giving end of the comfort instead of receiving, but Cavendish didn’t mind it. Being able to help felt… nice. Now was probably the only time that he'd been glad about the amount of panic attacks that he’d had around Dakota.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My jacket, uh… the wind, what’s- oh.” Dakota looked at Cavendish’s arms around him. “Your, um, your arms, and the… the ground.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Three things you can hear.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After Dakota calmed down, the two sat on the ground for a while. Not a word was spoken for nearly five minutes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Dakota broke the silence, “For helpin’ me out. Clever technique.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I learned from the best,” Cavendish said simply, giving a warm glance at Dakota.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Awww, shucks.” Dakota laughed, leaning his head on Cavendish’s shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a moment of laughter, but it died quickly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish sighed. “I’m sorry for yelling. I got frustrated and I didn’t know how to bring myself down. I was incredibly worried, but that’s no excuse.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s alright. I’m used to it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Cavendish turned his head towards Dakota, concern seeping in where guilt once resided.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve already vented enough today. I’ll tell you later.” Dakota shook his head. “And I’m sorry too. You were right. I numb myself out so that I don’t have to deal with my feelings. ‘S not healthy, but I’ll live until I find something better. I’ll try not to stay so closed off for ya, but don't expect it to be easy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you. You don’t need to apologize for your coping mechanisms, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pause fell between the two. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t have to talk about this again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We surely don’t have to, but I feel that it would benefit you if we did. We can leave out all of the yelling.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank god.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small laugh was shared between the two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y’know, this is my favorite spot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? How come?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just look at it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Cavendish truly looked, it… it was gorgeous. The world was alive with lights from the sunset. Pink and yellow clouds danced across the sky, while fireflies flitted past and lit up the surrounding area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clearly, Dakota had seen the awe on Cavendish’s face, because he said, “Oh no, it gets better. Put these on.” He handed Cavendish his sunglasses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh… alright.” Cavendish hadn’t even looked at Dakota’s face, he just looked straight at the sunset. It really did get better. Every yellow was now orange, and every pink was now a fiery red. It went from ethereal beauty to passionate beauty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya like it?” Dakota asked softly, a lovestruck grin barely hiding on his face. God, Cavendish was cute. He looked like a kid in a candy shop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my. This is… This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Cavendish stared for  few extra moments before he slipped the glasses off of his face and handed them back to Dakota, who was staring right at him with one eye an icy blue and the other a soft brown.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I take that back,” He said softly, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>This </span>
  </em>
  <span>is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” A hand flew up to his mouth, his face turning red. “Oh my, I’m terribly sorry, I don’t know what came over me,”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota blinked. Did he hear that correctly? Were his ears betraying him? Or did Cavendish just call him beautiful? The thought slowly crept into his head and a dusty rose grew across his cheeks. “I, Um, Thanks.” A small, surprised yet grateful smile on his face. His eyes remained wide as he took his sunglasses out of Cavendish’s hand, setting them on top of his head instead of on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dakota?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did I ever tell you my first name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota mulled it over. Did he? No, he didn’t think so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not as far as I know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Would you like to know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why the hell not? Hit me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Balthazar.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gesundheit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, that’s my name. It’s Balthazar.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pffthahah</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <b>
    <em>what?</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> The hell kind of a name is Balthazar? Who would do that to their kid? He probably had hella bullies in school.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dakota tried to stop thinking on that track, but he couldn’t help mouthing the name to himself. It felt odd in his mouth, like he had to stuff his face with cotton just to say it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, uh… Balthazar. Weird name, but I like it.” Dakota chuckled, though this time, he sounded like himself. That low, dark laugh would still echo in Cavendish’s mind, as a reminder of the things he had yet to know about Dakota, but it wasn’t going to get in his way, He would just use it as motivation to be there for his friend when he needed him. He laughed as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad you like it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh, suits you. Weird name for an even weirder guy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish’s tone went from jovial to tender.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry that I never appreciated your company as I should have, Dakota.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can call me Vinnie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cavendish blinked. It was an odd name, but he liked it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright then… Vinnie.”</span>
</p>
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